UK: Vote on Rwanda bill is an 'assault' on refugee rights and the rule of law

In response to this evening’s House of Commons vote on the Government’s Rwanda bill, Sacha Deshmukh, Amnesty International UK’s Chief Executive, said: 

“It was wrong that this bill was introduced and has now progressed. 

“This bill is a sad assault on the rule of law and the protection of human rights in this country. 

“Stripping people of their rights and shipping them off to Rwanda when they’re seeking asylum in the UK is a clear dereliction of this country’s responsibilities toward some of the world’s most desperate people. It is an attack on the basic principle that human rights are universal.  

“People who’ve fled persecution and war in countries like Afghanistan, Iran, Syria and Ethiopia are entitled to seek a place of safety, and they deserve far better than this.  

“This bill should be dropped in its entirety along with this Government’s policy to avoid properly processing people’s asylum claims in the UK. 

“The longer the Government’s obsession with avoiding processing people’s asylum claims continues - whether it's the plan to expel people to Rwanda or by other means - the more draconian government policies will become to try to deliver it; posing a grave threat to the rights of refugees, and ultimately to us all.”